Headley had plans to hit 50 Indian targets

The US double agent says the inclusion of the Nariman House as a target changed the nature of the attack to a suicide mission.

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Aman Sharma

New Delhi

October 26, 2010

UPDATED: October 26, 2010 12:31 IST

The 26/ 11 attackers had initially planned to use the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) as an escape route to Kashmir.

David Headley planned to attack 50 Indian targets.

But the Pakistan-based masterminds later decided to include the Nariman House as a target, which changed the nature of the attack from a hit-and-run operation to a suicide mission.

The revelations were made by David Coleman Headley, who surveyed at least 50 targets at the instructions of the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Headley also told his Indian interrogators that had the 10 Pakistani gunmen reached Mumbai at daytime, they would have also attacked the Mumbai Police Headquarters.

Worryingly for India, the videos of the 50 targets that Headley surveyed are still with the LeT and ISI, keeping fears of an impending attack alive.

"Recordings done by me are not available, except with the LeT, retired Pakistani Major Abdur Rehman Pasha and with the ISI. They might be keeping these in some computers," the 106-page interrogation report quotes Headley as saying.

The US double agent told the interrogators that the ISI and the LeT intensely debated targeting Nariman House.

He said some LeT leaders felt that attacking the Jewish Chabad House would "unnecessarily add another enemy for the LeT" in Israel, but ISI and LeT military commander Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi dismissed the reservations.

According to Headley, the 26/ 11 conspiracy became deadlier after September 2007 - with the inclusion of multiple targets.

"Till then, the Taj Hotel was the only target. At a meeting in June 2008, Lakhvi and Sajid Majid brought up Chabad House for the first time. Sajid is a Saudi salafi and they consider Jews priority targets.

Retired Pakistani Major Abdur Rehman Hashim also told me to impress upon the LeT to target the Chabad House? I met the ISI's Major Iqbal in Lahore? he was happy to know it had been chosen as a target," Headley said.

He surveyed Nariman House during his month-long eighth visit to India in July 2008. After his return to Pakistan, the LeT's top hierarchy held a meeting.

"One LeT commander, Abu Saeed, had some reservations about the Chabad House attack. According to him, it would unnecessarily add another enemy, which might be a problem for the LeT in future? I insisted upon the Chabad House attack. I could understand that LeT was preparing two sets of targets depending on the landing timings of the attackers. If the attackers reached during the day, then the Mumbai Police Headquarters would be a target," he revealed.

Headley said the decision to capture Nariman House and use it as a stronghold changed the nature of the attack and the CST also became a target.

However, he said, the attack planned during Ramzan in September 2008 failed as a LeT boat ferrying the attackers hit a rock.

Another attack in October 2008 also failed.

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